FOREWORD
Along with the transition
to the knowledge economy, knowledge workers are
assuming increasingly important roles. They constitute
an important part of a firm’s intangible
assets and form key sources of competitive advantages.
The central issue is how to develop appropriate
training and education programs and strategies
for these knowledge workers so as to attract and
retain them, maximize their performance, and thereby
enhance the intellectual capital of enterprises
as a whole.
The APO launched a survey on “In-company
Training Strategies for Knowledge Workers”
to examine the situation in the Asia-Pacific region.
The survey was launched in August 2002 and its
primary objectives were to identify best practices
in the training strategies of companies in the
region and to define the critical success and
hindering factors for dissemination to others.
Mr. Enrique V. Abadesco, Jr. from the Philippines
led the survey and served as the chief expert.
This publication is a compilation of the reports
prepared by the national experts participating
in the survey. The five countries featured are
India, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and
Thailand. In each of
these selected countries, knowledge workers are
increasing rapidly, in numbers as well as in their
contribution to corporate excellence and competitiveness.
In the course of the survey, the national experts
visited many companies and met their CEOs and
senior management teams to obtain the necessary
information and data. I would like to extend our
deep appreciation to all these companies and their
CEOs for opening their doors to the APO experts.
Without their far-sightedness and cooperation
in sharing willingly their in-company training
practices, the APO could not have carried out
this project. I hope that the experiences of the
companies included in the present study contain
practical lessons that may be emulated and widely
replicated among other corporations and organizations
in APO member countries.
– TAKASHI TAJIMA, APO Secretary-General,
Tokyo, May 2004
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